A-LEVEL results come out next week and up and down the country thousands of young people will be deciding what to do next.

In this week’s health column we hear from Ben Pritchard, Business Information apprentice at Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust, about why starting an apprenticeship was the best decision he ever made...

I HAVE been working at Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust since October and each day I am excited about what I will learn!

Working in Business Intelligence has given me a real insight to the many different ways data can be analysed and reported.

When I first started my apprenticeship I was quite nervous about coming into a real working office environment.

I wasn’t sure about how they would feel about having an apprentice joining them as they were an already established team.

However from day one I was warmly welcomed.

They are friendly, approachable and eager to show me how to do what I need to.

If I need help I don’t worry about asking because that’s how I learn; I feel like I am part of the team.

I chose the apprenticeship route because I feel more comfortable learning on the job as it gives me the opportunity to ask questions and get support to complete tasks.

It helps me to learn and be more confident as I move forward.

I feel it has also enhanced my social skills in the work place.

At school studying for my GCSEs I felt the focus was around going to university, but it didn’t really appeal to me.

I then applied to do a travel and tourism course but soon realised that wasn’t for me either.

So I went back to college and did a BTEC in Business and Work Skills, but I still felt that university was not the path for me.

When a couple of teachers mentioned apprenticeships I thought that sounded great and went off to investigate.

An apprenticeship came up in the NHS and I seized the opportunity and haven’t looked back.

My working week is 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday; I start my day by logging onto my computer and checking my emails to see if there is anything urgent that needs to be prioritised.

I am currently working on the trust’s quality report and learning and development reports, and the 0-19 health and wellbeing service’s births review data.

A member of the team will help me by checking I am following the correct process in order to analyse the data – I really appreciate the support and I am not afraid about asking for help.

It’s a great way for me to learn and I know starting an apprenticeship was the right decision for me.